The Little Blessings Here and There
by imaginationflies
Summary: The Haddock family has finally been reunited. But one unexpected twist in life catches them off guard, and everyone is unsure how to react after the initial joy is felt. But as time passes and the miracle arrives, suddenly joy is in full blossom again, and they understand the little blessings of life and the joy each shares. Stalka, Hiccstrid, and an OC. Sequel to Dragon Killer.
1. Hidden Meanings

_IF YOU ARE TAKING YOUR CHANCES AND READING THIS WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A SEQUEL, THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO KNOW IS...that Valka came back telling Stoick she was pregnant when he banished her (my version of what happened), but the baby she named Katla died. They got over this difference, killed Drago, and inadvertently got pregnant again. The epilogue of "The Dragon Killer" you could probably read to find out what they name the baby. These one-shots are just fillers. Okay, now to those who requested the one-shots. _

_Hello again! As promised, here is the long awaited one-shots of the Haddock life with Henrik. I thought I'd start with the pregnancy first because I had some ideas about it and I like things for me in chronological order. Just me and my weirdness. :) Anyway, here's the first little bit. I hope you like it and think of it was a worthy start. Read/Review/Enjoy/Criticize. (also, this is my first humor/emotional based fanfic, so if there are any humor writers out there, please I need some pointers!) _

_12 days until the sequel people! ISN'T EVERYONE EXCITED!? Okay, that's a really long AN. Sorry about that. :)  
_

* * *

She woke up with a start and realized that the bed was wet. She flew off the sheets. She called for her husband, but he was not beside her in the bed as usual. Where could he have gone? What was this dampness in the bed? For a reason she didn't know, she just sat there, thinking over what had happened that day, the explanations for the wet bed completely gone.

Pregnant. She was pregnant. After years of trying, waiting, thinking it would never happen again, she was with child. It was both a blessing and a curse, for while any child is a miracle from Valhalla, this baby had come to them as she and her husband were bordering old age. Of course, they weren't that old. She was in her early forties and still had a long life ahead of her, as did her husband. But as a mother, she couldn't help but worry.

She smiled. Ever since discovering the miracle of new life in her womb, the image of her other son sprung to life in her memory. He was ecstatic when she told him, thrilled to the point of laughing hysterically. He was such a blessing in her life and would be the ideal big brother to this little one shielded in her womb.

Enveloped in a sense of beautiful familial love, she caressed her womb. Once her fingers stroked it, she knew something was wrong.

She had no idea what it was, but something was missing. Something was amiss. She glanced around the dark room. It was a new moon, so no light crept through the shut window. For the first time, she noticed the eerie wind whistling through the grottos and forests of her home. And that was another thing that seemed wrong; a part of her swore that she now lived in a village, far away from the grottos of their home but still bordering the forest. She wouldn't hear the sound wind dancing through caves. Unless…

She struggled out of bed, the pattern of her walk seeming perfectly normal to her, but in reality, was quite bizarre. Her legs were outstretched because of an uncomfortable feeling and she wobbled forward, all the while caressing her womb. But she continued to walk, determined to see what was outside the window, because some desperate calling within her shouted, "The window is where you'll find answers!"

With a heave and a grunt, she tore the shades off the window and gasped.

This wasn't her home. It wasn't her home. She had a faint idea where she was, a place that shrouded her in love and protection, but it wasn't her home. Grottos and caves surrounded her bedroom, which come to think of it, shouldn't have been here at all, she realized.

She peered out the window, her heart screaming at her to place all of this in the right order, but eerie another feeling instructed her that there was something else here.

She waited for whatever sign was about to come, but when it did, she wished that it hadn't.

A grave grew from the bottom of the grotto. It was a familiar grave; a grave that symbolized her thirteen years of sadness.

And like a rock hitting her, the strangeness of the wet bed dawned on her.

She whirled around, gasping, begging everything to not be true. But it was. The bed showed the signs of a miscarriage.

Refusing her baby was dead, she felt her stomach, feeling for any kick, any flutter, any sign that the baby was still alive!

"No. No. No!" she pleaded. "Don't let my baby die! Baby, baby! Dear baby!"

All the while, a voice, a hauntingly beautiful, manipulative, eerie voice whispered, hissed, "Katla…"

* * *

Valka shot out of bed, gasping. She felt hot. That was the first thing she noticed. Then, everything came into focus.

She was in her bedroom, Stoick breathing heavily by her side. The full moon gave enough light in the room for her to see that this, was in fact, Berk, not the cave where her refugee dragons hid. And Katla's grave was nowhere near here.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, everything was fine. It should've been. But she couldn't bury the fear, and guilt, of that dream.

Valka surrendered to the sleep overcoming her eyes and lay back down. She brushed the small, unnoticeable bump which held her baby. She could feel it. He or she was still alive. But his or her older sister…

She felt Stoick rustling beside her and cringed when she heard his voice.

"Val? Are you okay?"

As upset as she was to wake him, Valka was humored by the tone of distress in his voice. "Don't worry Stoick. It's only three months. The baby's not even close to being born yet."

Valka made sure her remark had the dose of humor in it, but as much as she hated it, Stoick was an expert at reading her facial expressions, and at times, hidden meanings behind her voice.

So with a grunt, he got out of bed, slipped on his bathrobe, and ordered, "Stay here. I'll get you some warm milk."

"Don't wake Hiccup!"

Stoick chuckled. "Hiccup's not the baby."

Valka realized her mistake and threw her pillow at Stoick. He threw it back and left to get her milk.

* * *

Valka sipped the beverage and watched as Stoick kindled the fire in the bedroom hearth. In truth, when he delivered her milk, he had almost gone back to bed before she hastily said, "I want to talk!" Having only a groan of tiredness be his complaint, Stoick lit the fire and smiled periodically back to his wife.

"Alright," Stoick breathed with satisfaction once the fire was a blaze. He returned to the bed and sat beside his wife. "What do you want to talk about?"

Silence was her response. She kept sipping the milk and felt the heat take effect on her body. Her eyes felt drowsy and the temptation to lean back was great.

Stoick, though tired, was incredibly patient, especially at this hour. He waited while she sipped her milk, assuming that by "talk" his wife just meant "quiet reflection." She often had hidden meanings. So, affectionately, he rubbed her back, which he was sure he'd be doing more of in the next few months. The baby would get heavier, and along with him or her, the child's mother. Her ankles would hurt from walking and she'd get backaches and she'd want to eat nothing but toast and cheese, but Stoick was prepared. After all, they had done this before, hadn't they? As he rubbed her back, he moved to rub her stomach, to feel the sense of life burst from there, but with it, came his wife's fury.

"We don't know what we're doing!" she exclaimed, much louder than she usually spoke. She shoved away her husband's hold, first removing the hand that touched her belly.

Stoick immediately deciphered that action. This was a command that held no hidden meaning.

Hesitantly, he asked, "For what?"

She looked to him as if he were crazy. "The baby!"

"We-we had this discussion. We were competent when we were young with Hiccup…"

"Yes Stoick! Yes! _Young_!"

Finally, Stoick caught her meaning. He looked to the fire in the hearth.

His wife kept talking, "We're not young anymore Stoick! And it's not like you and I live the calmest life either! You're a chief with constant demand who's already going to be focused on training Hiccup! I'm a…I don't know what I am but it's a dangerous job!"

Stoick opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't even draw breath before she rambled, "And it's not like I can go and do whatever my job was before either! Oh my! What will this do to my post at the dragon sanctuary? Will I take the baby along? And what about when we die, if war claims you or I face a dragon who can't be trained? Or old age takes us? What'll happen to the baby? Do we saddle Hiccup with all that responsibility when he'll have his own family…!"

"Valka!" Stoick barked.

She finally breathed. She had said that all in one breath. She leaned back against the headboard, massaging her forehead. "I don't know what to do."

Stoick grabbed her hands, pulled them off her face, and kissed them. "I don't know the answer to any of those questions. But I do remember twenty years ago, you had a fitful night just like this."

"I didn't dream about our daughter's grave twenty years ago!" Valka shouted before she thought about her words.

Stoick hid his gasp and expertly masked it with a sigh of realization. "So, that's what you're worried about."

She buried her face in her hands. She moved to Stoick and collapsed in his hold. "What if the baby dies?" she asked. "What if…what if…"

"I don't know. I don't know all the answers to your questions. I don't know."

Valka looked up at him. "You're not making me feel any better."

Stoick humorlessly chuckled. "I'm not making myself feel any better either. But we'll take this one day at a time. One day. We'll deal with problems as they come, and it'll all be alright. Am I right?"

Valka nodded, surrendering to Stoick's persuasive arguments.

"Good. Now, it's well past midnight and the fire's losing light. Let's go to sleep."

Valka knew many things about her husband, and one fact was that challenging him once he gave you an order, unless you were his fully awake wife, was pointless. So she slid underneath the covers and guided the tiny bump to lie beside her. Stoick kissed her forehead gingerly before going to extinguish the fire and returned to bed.

As he did, Valka massaged her tummy. _I don't know the future, little one, _she thought, _but I do know that you will have an amazing father._

Her child must've heard her, because the familiar flutter tickled in response. _I know Mommy._

* * *

_Please review! How'd you like it? Remember, I need pointers and inspiration! So any PM messages with either of those I will welcome! Thank you so much for reading!  
_


	2. Till All the Love Runs Out

_Hey everyone! Phew! Sorry about the long wait, but it's here! We follow immediately after last chapter and I foreshadow events of the next one, which will be REALLY fun to write! Thanks everyone! Read/Review/Enjoy/Criticize!_

* * *

She woke up the next morning glad to see the dawn. Dawn meant that a new day was here, and that she could forget the troubles of last night, of the last year, of the last decade. Yes, it was a good day.

Valka dressed as quickly as she could and heard the clanking of pans and a cry of pain.

"Ow! Toothless, don't flick your tail that close to the oven!"

Valka giggled. So it would be a morning where Hiccup and Toothless playfully bantered then, would it? She enjoyed those mornings the most, even if a plate was sure to be broken.

She arrived at the kitchen table and saw her son cracking eggs into a heated pan. "Morning Mom," he chirped, kissing her cheek.

"Where's your father?" Valka asked, feeling guilty she hadn't realized he wasn't in the room that morning.

"He woke up before you did and I guess he didn't want to wake you. He was feeding the dragons when I woke up. Seconds later, Gobber came rushing in here claiming that there was a village-wide emergency, which turned out to only be that his axe was missing. Dad went to look for it and told me to make you breakfast and here I am."

Valka grinned. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I take it eggs are for breakfast?"

Hiccup gasped. "Now how did you guess that? There aren't any wild chickens running around here!"

"I can see into the future!" Valka joked, laughing. Her son laughed with her. There were these moments between them were sarcasm ruled and, having them both be gifted with the humor, they grasped them as joke-telling time.

But as his mother moved to pet Gruff and Toothless, Hiccup felt he needed to change the topic. "Have you told anyone yet?"

"No," she immediately answered. "No, I haven't. Have you told Astrid?"

He shook his head. "I'm not announcing it until you do."

Valka smiled. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek and took over making toast. "I don't want anyone to know just yet. I'm not past the four month mark."

Hiccup looked to her. "What's so special about four months?"

Valka sighed and bit her lip. That question brought her back to last night, the fear that she felt and the horror of the thought. But, it was her son who asked, and being a mother, that almost obligated her to tell him. Besides, he was twenty, old enough to know and understand the situation. So, she huffed, "Sometimes the baby doesn't live past three or four months, or even after that or out of the womb. I just want to be sure before anyone gets overly excited."

Hiccup nodded. Valka was afraid that her fear would be contagious and spread to Hiccup, but he usually showed his emotions the minute he felt them in his heart. He didn't look like he was distressed. He just nodded understandingly and scrambled the eggs, but for Hiccup, silence usually meant a buried emotion.

Valka was relieved when he spoke. "We'll get through this right?" he asked. "I've been praying every night for this to work out. I'm sure it will!"

Valka smiled. Hiccup looked just like Stoick when he tried to comfort her. It was the sweetest thing she could've ever asked for in both husband and son. "Yes, we will," she answered. "We'll survive." She patted her tummy. "And I think your little brother or sister agrees with me."

Hiccup grinned nervously. Hesitantly, he reached out to his mother's stomach and asked, "May I?"

Valka couldn't help but laugh. "You can. I don't know if you'll be able to feel any kick, but I do."

Hiccup rested his hand on his mother's stomach. He didn't feel any movement, just as his mother predicted, but he couldn't deny the feeling of thrill he found, realizing that it was just a small barrier from the little life, the little baby he called brother or sister. He loved it.

The door flew open and Hiccup ripped his hand away. Both mother and son were relieved to find only Stoick coming through the door, but he was accompanied by a familiar friend.

"Oh Bertha!" Gobber exclaimed as he rubbed the axe's blade against his cheek. "Thanks for helping me find Bertha, Stoick."

Stoick huffed and sat in his chair. "There are times I think that half the duties I have as chief are to help you recover lost items."

Gobber mockingly looked offended. "Well, excuse me High and Mighty Chief. The next time I need help, I'll go ask Spitelout or Horce. I'm sure they'll help me with no complaint." Instead of leaving the house at this point, as any normal being would, Gobber walked further into the Haddock house and sat beside Stoick. He glanced to Valka and Hiccup, and as much as the duo tried to hide the odor and sight, Gobber still sensed the meal. "Eggs," he delightedly remarked.

Hiccup groaned silently in defeat. There was no way of stopping Gobber from joining their breakfast now. Not quite reluctant but still regretful, Hiccup cracked three more eggs into the cooking mixture.

Valka smiled and neglected the ale Gobber passed to her. "How are you doing today, old friend?" she asked as she sat in her own chair.

"Much better now that Bertha's back with me." He lovingly stroked the blades and fingered its hilt.

Valka laughed and sipped her water. "Where was it?"

Stoick grumbled. "Under his bed."

Valka smiled and looked at Stoick. "I can't believe you didn't want to find Bertha after all the things she's done for us."

Stoick growled. "No. Don't you start making this axe like a human being too!"

"Well, it did save us from the Monstrous Nightmare on the first training day," Valka argued with a gleam in her eye.

"Thank you Valka," Gobber said. "This beauty was my first axe ever made. I treasure it. I love it. Why can't Stoick see that?"

Stoick rolled his eyes and growled. "I'm helping Hiccup with the eggs."

"No, no I got it!" Hiccup called. "Sit back down Dad. Please."

Stoick sat back down in defeat, ignoring the chuckles of his wife. She knew that Hiccup only protested help because he wanted to see his father mocked more. Oh well…Stoick would get back at him when he married Astrid…_if _he married Astrid.

"On to other matters," Gobber interjected. "I have some bad news."

"Oh no," Valka cynically moaned. "What happened now?"

Gobber's face twisted from the usual cheeriness to fear and embarrassment. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise to not kill the messenger."

In perfect synchronization, Toothless, Thornado, and Gruff perked their heads on either side of him, looking up at him, as if waiting for the cue from their riders to blow fire.

Gobber whimpered and glanced between Stoick and Valka. "I said to not kill. I'm your best friend!"

Valka giggled and snapped her fingers. She whistled once and hit the ground. "Down boys."

Reluctantly, and giving the perfect moans to show it, both Toothless and Gruff obeyed the Dragon Master in defeat.

Gobber sighed in relief. "Thank you. Now onto the bad news." He clasped his hands diplomatically and smiled nonchalantly. "Young women, top gossipers in the village, have teamed up with their mothers, grandmothers, and other influential dangerous people to see that within the next month, the chief, being Stoick, and the chief's wife, being Valka, reaffirm their reunion after thirteen years by recreating your marriage ceremony and renewing your vows." He cringed and shielded his face, awaiting an attack.

There was a few seconds of dead silence, save the sizzling of eggs in the background.

Finally, Valka hissed. "Beg pardon."

Gobber cringed. "The romantics in the village want you to remarry."

Stoick pinched his eyebrows. "But we're still married. Legally and…officially…"

"Child in the room!" Hiccup hollered.

Valka called back, "You made that connection yourself!" Then she turned to Gobber. "I am not dressing up and redoing my wedding."

"Well why not?" Gobber asked. "It's romantic and a good excuse for a party! Everyone around here is getting bored, even with impromptu dragon races, and I think this would be a good chance to show them that you're a happy family again."

Hiccup entered the den, holding three plates of eggs in his arms and balancing one on his head. "Yeah, and I agree with him."

Valka panicked and claimed the plate on top of his head for her own. Gobber grabbed the two on his left arm, handed one to Stoick, and Hiccup sat on the hearth with the only plate remaining.

"So as I was saying," Hiccup continued as he shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth, "I think it's a good idea. We'll have a party. I can have ale, and as I need to keep repeating, my _first _ale. Yeah, it'll just be a good party where we compromise the wants of the nosey women in the village with my need to drink alcohol and you can be romantic while I'm out of the house."

Valka giggled. "Keep mentioning your first ale and the occasion will happen when you're thirty."

Hiccup clamped his mouth shut after that and continued eating his breakfast.

"Hiccup!" came a call from outside.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shrieked as he laid his plate on the hearth and bounded up. "I forgot I made a date with her."

"Your breakfast!" Stoick protested.

Hiccup whirled around and exclaimed, "Right!" He gobbled down the rest of the breakfast in record time, making the adults' eyes widen. He finished, dropped the wooden plate, called for Toothless, and raced out the door.

Valka couldn't hold back her laughter as she shook her head. "If he denies his love for her _once _more…"

Stoick giggled, "We have a future daughter-in-law."

* * *

The flight with Astrid was, as usual, indescribable. They soared through the clouds and raced through the peaks of Berk, and unpredictably went past Berk, into the ice caps of the nearby Arctic, and they kept flying until the sunrise was over and the sun arrogantly paraded high in the sky.

Hiccup shouted to her over the wind, "Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

"What?" Astrid shrieked. "I can't hear you Hiccup! You'll have to tell me when we land." She coolly smiled at him.

Hiccup smiled back.

They eventually found a landing spot with minimal snow on the ground and a bush with edible berries nearby. They cuddled while Stormfly and Toothless hunted for fish.

Astrid sat on Hiccup's lap as he stroked her braided hair. He rubbed her shoulder with his other hand and just sat there, holding his angel in his arms. She rubbed his shoulders and laid her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"You've been quiet the last few weeks," she commented. "Every time I ask you how your family's doing, you just respond with "Fine." Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Yep. We're all fine. I promise. Now, I had to repeat something I yelled to you on the flight here. I asked, "Did I ever tell you that I love you?""

Astrid beamed. "Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't. Why not make sure?"

Hiccup pressed his lips against hers. Without pulling away, he whispered, "I love you, and I will love you until I die."

Astrid smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too, more than I can say."

They enveloped each other, hugging each other tightly. Hiccup kissed her cheeks and her forehead. "Will you marry me?"

Astrid tore from the embrace. "What?"

Hiccup had just realized what he said. He stuttered, shaking. "Uh…I asked you if…I mean it's only if you want to…you, you didn't let me finish…." He fiddled with his hair and couldn't find the words. "I-I thought that you wanted to…I mean if you don't that's okay it's really sudden and a strong commitment which we're probably not even wise enough to make…"

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried. "Do you want to get married?"

Hiccup was reminded of when his father first told him of getting married, six months ago. He remembered being terrified of the word "husband." He was even more terrified now. _Husband…husband…husband_…the terror didn't die no matter how many times he repeated the word. So he licked his lips and stuttered, "D-Do-do-do you?"

Astrid half-smirked, rubbing her arms. "Do you?"

"No, don't ask me…don't ask me what to do. I don't…I guess, yeah I wanna get married!"

Astrid giggled. "Maybe we could get married."

"Do you want to get married?"

Astrid sucked in her lips. "Yeah."

Hiccup lost his breath. "You-you want to get married? To me?"

Astrid smiled and sheepishly looked to the ground. "Is anyone else asking me to marry them?"

Hiccup panicked. "Are there? I don't blame them…you're gorgeous and I've loved you since I first set eyes on you!"

Astrid gasped. "You did?"

Hiccup nodded. "So…so…" He grabbed her hand, kissed it, and knelt down on one knee. "Astrid Hofferson, will you marry me?"

She beamed. She started nodding slowly. Then, ecstatic, she nodded and knelt down to him. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He kissed her back.

They released and Hiccup caught his breath. "Is that a yes?"

Astrid blankly stared at her fiancé and deadpanned, "Because my making out with you is a definite sign that I'm saying no?"

Hiccup laughed hysterically and kissed her again. "I'm so lucky. I've got the best fiancé in the world."

Astrid smirked. "But in Hiccup World I said no, remember?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Hiccup World is denied visiting from this moment forward. I want to love you until all the love in the world runs out Astrid. And I think we all know that the love in this world will never disappear."

Astrid smiled. "I know. I love you too, but I'll love you until all the love in the world runs out, but then I'll go hunting for more, and then I'll love you with that."

Hiccup smiled and kissed her. "Like I said, I am amazingly lucky."

* * *

"Valka!" her friend called.

Valka smiled as she rubbed Gruff's nose and fed Cloudjumper a piece of a shark in the Academy. "Hello Agnetha. Have you heard from Astrid if any attempts to join those two together in matrimony have blossomed?"

Agnetha Hofferson shook her head. "She hasn't uttered a word."

Valka giggled. "Neither has my son. So sad when two people deny that they're in love when they so clearly are."

Agnetha twirled her blonde braid against her shoulder. "Speaking of weddings…"

"Agnetha, we're about to be related through our children and share who are bound to be adorable grandchildren. Don't spoil it by encouraging this fake wedding."

Agnetha smiled. "I'm not. It wasn't even my idea, but have you made a decision? Half the women in the village are head over heels about what you decide."

Valka sighed and pulled back her graying hairs. "I have."

"And?"

Valka smiled and waved her hands excitedly. She squealed, "I'm getting married!"

As if to join in the thrill, her baby fluttered his or her little feet against her womb. _I know you're happy Mommy. I know._


	3. Different Colors

_Hey all! Whew! I'm back, and this ridiculously long wait deserves an explanation. So, I saw the sequel, and whenever I wanted to write, I was extinguished by my sadness the ending of the sequel, and then I didn't have access to this for two weeks, but then I finally buckled down and got it done! Hooray! __To answer an unnamed guest's question, Valka is marrying Stoick. It's a reenactment of their own wedding, and on that note, that's a good reminder of what just happened, so if you've waited this out, thank you SO SO much, and I hope I've satisfied you here. Ideas and requests welcome! And please note that updates may come more regularly now! Read/Review/Enjoy/Criticize!  
_

* * *

One-shot Three

"How could you have agreed to this?" Stoick boomed.

Valka patiently folded her hands in front of her face and looked up Stoick after a moment's breather. "It will just be an hour out of our lives and it's only to make the people happy. Besides, I thought you were a romantic."

Stoick looked stunned a moment, then scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I-I just don't see the point, Valka."

Valka turned puppy-eyed at him now. "Oh, please. There'll be drinking…" She thought of Hiccup having his first ale. "There'll be no drinking for Hiccup, just us, there'll be feasting and it will all be done in less than an hour. It's just for the village's sake anyway, it's not like we're inviting any allied tribes or anything."

"Oh, that reminds me, we've been receiving gifts lately. You were settling a dragon skirmish when Trader Johan came and I forgot to tell you until now." Stoick abruptly turned away, clearly away from the conversation. His retreat led him and a stubbornly following Valka to the back closet. When he opened it, piles of paraphernalia tumbled out and his wife gasped. Stoick picked up one of the trinkets and read the label, making sure his voice had exaggerated thrill. "The chief of the Miscreants sends us a…I think it's some kind of bowl, on the occasion of our reunion. And the chief of the Warheads has graciously given us a hammer and an axe for the occasion of our reunion…"

"I get the message," Valka interrupted, unable to keep the smile from her face. "But I don't think the rest of your loyal followers will."

Stoick dropped the axe, which was rather small, in surrender. "Fine. One hour. That's it."

Valka cheerfully grinned. "Thank you." She almost turned, relieved, but then a thought which she wished later would have just kept silent came. "By any chance, did any of our allies give any baby gifts?"

Stoick gave her a horrified look. "Did you tell anyone? You're the one who told me to keep it a secret! Why…?"

"I was just asking!" Valka protested. "Some of those chiefs, while they're nice people, have a rude sense of humor, so…did we get anything?"

Stoick shook his head. "Thankfully, no. We'll be getting enough gifts when the villagers find out you're…you know."

Valka smirked. "Scared of eavesdroppers?"

Stoick's nod and careful glance around his own house answered her. She laughed in response and once again turned to leave, a plan forming in her head.

"Don't you almost feel young again?" Stoick asked her.

She turned. "What?"

Stoick gestured to the trinkets at his feet. "We're receiving wedding gifts, keeping the secret of a pregnant wife until the time is right…doesn't it remind you of the early years?"

Valka stared at her "wedding" gifts, and smirked. "Only a touch. Dragons weren't occupying my every thought the last time."

Stoick chuckled and stroked her shoulders. "Well, then this time, it's perfect."

* * *

The reenactment of Stoick and Valka's wedding was planned hurriedly, in less than a week's time, which annoyed some of the village gossipers, who'd much rather have something to gossip about for six months rather than a week.

But little did they know, that they just might.

The day of the wedding finally came. Villagers filed in one by one and took their seats. One look at the Great Hall and one could tell that this wedding had the least amount of pomp and circumstance possible. Did the "new" couple not care for each other, even after years of separation? Of course, only the women theorized such things. The men were content to witness this thing their wives dragged them to, drown themselves in ale afterward, and fall asleep at three o'clock in the morning and not awake until noon.

Stoick stood at the front, feeling the most ridiculous he'd ever felt since when Hiccup was two years old. The little boy wanted him to wear an apron with flowers on it for a reason Stoick didn't remember, and to his chagrin, Stoick had put it on. But that was behind him now. Stoick now stood in front of all his subjects, dressed up enough to satisfy the women but homely enough that he didn't feel overly ridiculous.

Gobber was beside him. "You do know that I am one hundred percent sided with you on just saying you're married and getting this over with, right?"

Stoick nodded to Gobber's comment, though he knew that Gobber was the most sentimental one in the room, and wanted to see the reenactment at its original glory, but that wouldn't happen.

Valka came down the aisle on schedule at a rather brisk pace, escorted by Hiccup of all people. He had given his mother away to his father very happily. He then sat down by Astrid and his friends in the second row. His parents were alone up there now, except for Gobber, who, only to satisfy his friends, dryly asked them to renew their wedding vows.

"Do you promise to love, honor and cherish and so on and so forth until you both die?" Gobber asked, looking at Stoick.

"Yup."

The women were giving obvious facial expressions of distaste; all that is, except for Ruffnut and Astrid, who used all their strength to hold back their giggles at the absolute dullness of the joyous occasion. The men were indifferent, including, surprisingly, Hiccup.

"And does the bride dido the promise to her husband?"

Valka nodded, smiling as broadly as the first wedding. "Yes. Absolutely."

"Very well then," Gobber chirped, holding back his laughter when he saw the woman's ghastly horrified faces. "I now pronounce you remarried husband and wife. Now can we have ale?"

The men cheered while the womens' jaws dropped in horror. Astrid and Ruffnut took the opportunity to let out a few giggles before a woman stared at them in threatening distaste.

Valka's voice could be heard above the crowd. "Everyone shut it!" Promptly, all did so. She then continued, "Before we indulge ourselves in worldly pleasures, Stoick and I have an announcement."

"We do?" Stoick asked with unhidden shock, but he corrected just in time. "Ah, we do!"

The womens' curiosity piqued, and all eyes were on the chief and his wife. Hiccup was the only one with a relaxed expression, and Astrid noticed.

"Hiccup," she whispered, "What's going on?"

He shushed her and patted her hands, looking at his parents. He'd known them both long enough to know that something was up, even if his father apparently didn't known until now.

Valka smiled enthusiastically and announced, "There was more than one reason we wanted to redo our wedding, and do it at such a…well, dim setting. We didn't want our marriage to be the focus of today, but something else."

Hiccup panicked. He didn't tell his parents of his marriage proposal. But could they tell? Parents did that kind of thing. They knew their kid's secrets even if a dragon guarded them. He caught Astrid's horrified stare that bellowed, _Did you tell them you son of a half-troll? _He hoped his look of guilt and hopelessness was enough to say he didn't and plead for mercy.

His mother continued, "Something wonderful has blessed our life. And it seemed that redoing the wedding was the best way to announce it. We didn't want to forewarn you with anything, and we wanted to be certain about it before we told anyone."

Stoick's and Hiccup's eyes lit up in understanding.

Valka finally said it. "I'm three months along."

A cricket chirping now would've been appropriate, but to the Haddock family's near terror, none chirped to normalize the silence.

Astrid's horrified look melted into a happy one. She pecked Hiccup's cheek, but that was the only normal reaction in the room.

Finally, Gobber lifted Valka in the air, spinning her around. "Congratulations!" he cried, laughing.

His outburst seemed to shake the entire village from their shock, and soon, everyone was cheering and clapping, keeping their comments on the parents' age to themselves.

* * *

The reception was simply a small dinner where women came to rub Valka's tummy and men came to congratulate Stoick on producing another heir. Hiccup was bombarded with hearty slaps on the back and congratulations on being a brother, all with Astrid at his side. But even though she tried hard, she couldn't force herself to be happy since she heard of the pregnancy. Of course, she was delighted, actually flabbergasted, and ecstatic when she heard, and she still was, but she found herself continuing to steal glances at her future parents-in-law.

Stoick kept kissing Valka on the cheek, on the lips, her hands, and hugging her. Whenever they had a small break, he held her with such a delicate love that Astrid soon believed Valka was a delicate, endangered flower. Or maybe it was the baby inside her that forced such love. But Astrid was observant enough to know that it wasn't. Stoick had treated her like that since he recovered from broken ribs, in the village, and when she came to their house for dinner. She didn't get it.

She kissed Hiccup and promised she'd be back, and hurriedly escaped the Great Hall for a moment. The night air was refreshing. She wished to go for a ride on Stormfly, but she didn't feel like it. She had too much on her mind for a flight.

"Astrid?"

The voice wasn't Hiccup's. It was hoarser and more demanding. She turned to see Stoick leaning from the doorway.

"I saw you leave and I thought there was something wrong," he explained.

Astrid shook her head. "Nope. It's alright. Congratulations on the baby."

Stoick smiled, but not so much, because Astrid knew that he sensed she was lying. "Thank you, Astrid. Well, if there's nothing on your mind…" he turned to go.

"Chief!" she cried.

Stoick chuckled and returned. "What is it?"

Astrid tried hard to form the words, but for some reason, they weren't coming. Her confidence was waning, and she hated it. "I-I have a personal question."

Stoick's eyebrows lifted in shock, but before he could protest, Astrid continued, "You love Valka so much and…but you're completely different from each other! I-I guess I'm asking…how do you love each other so much?"

Stoick nodded in understanding. He sighed and thought it over a moment, which made Astrid even more edgy.

"Uh, it's a very interesting question, Astrid. Now let me answer your question with a question. Why do you love Hiccup?"

Astrid started. She hadn't expected that as a response, maybe a more precise answer. "Well…I guess I love him because he's understanding and…he stands up for who he loves and he won't let anyone touch them…I guess."

Stoick smiled. "There's your answer."

Astrid's eyebrows pinched. "I-I still don't get it. You love her because she's understanding and protective?"

Stoick sensed her frustration and huffed. "I guess what I'm saying Astrid is…you and I both see the world in black and white, right and wrong. If anything steps out of those boundaries, we hate it, like when Hiccup trained the dragons. But Valka and Hiccup have…this ability to see the world in different colors. They explore new possibilities and it kind of rescues us from our dimly colored world. They have that childlike sense of adventure and curiosity, and I guess the reason why I love Valka is because she took me out of the dirt by showing me how good curiosity is, and without her, I'm stuck in a colorless world."

"Hmm," a voice interrupted, "we should've done a bigger wedding. You could've used that as your toast."

Stoick laughed as Valka snuck in. "Just chatting with our future daughter-in-law."

Astrid laughed too, knowing that they didn't know of the proposal. That had been a running joke for months now, so Astrid didn't suspect anything bad. Hiccup didn't tell them.

"Thanks for your help Chief, I think I get it now." Astrid raced back in to find Hiccup. She finally did, among the older men who were asking him of his plans for when he took over as chief. Poor Hiccup could only mutter generalizations about dragon maintenance in return. The elders soon grew tired of this and hobbled away. Before anyone else could steal him away, Astrid grabbed his vest and kissed him full on the lips.

Hiccup didn't complain, but his shock was evident. "What was that for?"

Astrid smiled and laid her head against his chest. "That was for showing me baby blue, midnight black, ruby red, a new yellow, and the beautiful, ghostly colors of the light in the sky. I think it was blue-green, majestic purple, and a thousand others."

Hiccup stared. Astrid predicted her new poetry speech would've confused him, make him wonder where _his _Astrid was, so she just kissed him again and said, "Thanks for being curious."


	4. Dragon Fruit

_I am back! Again, I know that this was a REALLY long wait and I apologize for that. I honestly think I'm reminded to get in gear whenever xx-Valkyrie (a loyal reader, thank you) asks me about the progress, so thanks (and sorry if I got your name wrong)! I am a little more hyped about another story I'm writing, and that kind of put this one on the back burner, so to speak, but now that I've got a story with cliffhangers and an epic scene I dreamed about (first time I ever dreamed about a scene) I'm a little more excited, though the epic scene won't be here for a few chapters. It needs build up. Okay, sorry for the really long author's note. So please read/review/enjoy/criticize! Please review__!_

* * *

He liked doing the routine, chiefly chores with his dad, he really did. The joy of helping people was a trait he inherited from his father, and helping solve their daily needs was the ideal way to show it. After all, a chief looks after his own.

But on days like this, when the warm, noon sky was a spotless blue and the snow white clouds were mountains in the unreachable beyond…that was when Hiccup slacked off and left the negotiations to his father. Training dragons was _much_ more tempting than training to be a chief. He supposed it was his mother's genes which dictated that reaction.

But Hiccup still had enough willingness to at least be sociable.

"Have a good day," he chirped to a newlywed couple as he showed them out. "Remember what my dad said. Respect each other, daily say you love one another, and we all hope that you won't come here again soon."

The last remark was a desperate plea even though Hiccup masked it like an ordinary farewell. And it seemed that the newlyweds believed the guise. They nodded, agreeing, and left the house in such a mushy, gushy way that Hiccup had to stop his gag reflex.

Hiccup closed the door once they left, laying his head against it. He whimpered, "Uhhhh…Dad, how many more of these do we have to do?"

His father rustled a few papers behind him. "It looks like just one more."

Hiccup took a moment to gasp and was silent for a moment. Then, breaching the silence of the moment, he shouted like an ecstatic dragon, "Woo-hoo! We're almost done!" He did a little dance, earning a curious glance from Toothless and Thornado. But as they often did, they just indifferently snuggled back next to the cozy hearth and slumbered.

Stoick, who had jumped in shock at the cry, wasn't so indifferent. "Look, Hiccup, I know it's been a long day…"

"Twenty-seven cases of nothing but people complaining," Hiccup continued, waving his arms around, like he was spreading the joy. "And it's almost gone!"

"Hiccup!"

The boy instantly stopped his dance and looked up to his father with wide eyes. "Yeah Dad?"

Stoick breathed deeply, gathering patience, before he said, "You need to keep your…joyous display more discrete, a bit more hidden. We don't want to offend anyone, do we?"

Hiccup smiled childishly. He glanced at his father identically to when he was really little…well, littler. "Well, I guess…okay Dad. But it's just…" His voice was exaggeratingly happy, "…how exactly can you keep something with that big of a relief just to yourself?"

Stoick rested his fists on the table and glared at Hiccup. "When you get your own house, I'll show you."

Hiccup returned to his normal, matured self. "Uh-right, okay, sure. Be quiet unless I want my own house…yeah, I'll be quiet now."

Stoick bit back his chuckle. It felt good when he knew he had made his point.

The expected knock of the final customer pattered on the door. "Stoick?"

"Come in Mulch, Bucket," Stoick's voice and transformed from disciplining father to stoic chief, like it always did at a time like this. "What seems to be the problem?"

Mulch entered the Haddock house followed by Bucket, who was holding a large piece of impaled wood with a knob on it, but that wasn't what Hiccup noticed.

Half of Mulch's right leg was gone. He had lost it in the battle with Drago, under Hiccup's command. Hiccup bit back the usual apology speech he usually gave. If the past was any indication, Mulch would only protest, reassuring his future leader that he was one of the lucky ones. So instead, Hiccup bit the inside of his cheek. He'd have to deal with the guilt later.

"Well, chiefs," said Mulch. He was the only Berkian to regard Hiccup as a full-fledged chief before the induction, and aside from the terror Hiccup still had about the job, he liked that about Mulch. He broadened his shoulders, feeling respected.

Mulch continued, "We heard a disturbance last night. We naturally thought it was the arguing newlyweds but it sounded more like a dragon. We went outside this morning and found this, our door shattered. It could be a dragon, but we wanted a second opinon." He turned to Bucket. "My friend, show the chiefs the door."

Bucket did as he was told. "It's scratched," he admitted, as if his leaders were blind.

Once Bucket put the door on the table, Hiccup threw himself into the inspection. The other three men silently watched him, marveling at how he could be so absorbed in the most miniscule of details. Hiccup barely noticed the spider crawling across the floor as he grabbed various tools from his ever-present, multipurpose suit. He measured the length and width of the impalements and smelled the wood. All the while, his eyes never left his work.

Bucket understood the obsession the most, noticing that it was only matched by his own love of painting. He leaned next to Mulch and whispered, "What would happen if we yelled 'fire'?" That earned him a disciplining smack on the arm from Mulch, and Bucket decided to be quiet.

Hiccup obviously didn't hear. He just kept looking and inspecting. Finally, with a regrettable sigh (so much like his mother's, the men noticed) Hiccup admitted, "I have no idea. The claws are too deep to be a Monstrous Nightmare or anything else like that. You could ask my mom…"

"Ask me what?" The said person had entered the house, a large basket of groceries in her grasp.

Everyone greeted her promptly. Stoick went to kiss her on the cheek and Bucket tipped his bucket to her.

"Evening ma'am," he chirped, and then noticed something odd. "Have you been eating lots?"

Mulch groaned. A twinge of embarrassed red glowed on his cheeks. "Bucket, we talked about this. Remember what state the chief's wife's in?"

Bucket rolled his eyes into his head, humming, thinking very hard. "She's…she's…I know this, she's…"

Valka smiled, clearly not offended, and whispered, "Bucket, I'm going to have a baby."

"A baby!" Bucket cried in delight, as if he had figured it out alone. "She's having a baby!"

Mulch nodded, sheepishly avoiding eye contact with any member of the Haddock family. "Yes, Bucket. That's it."

Valka only giggled. "Yes, I am. I'm four months along." She instinctively rubbed her belly, which looked more like a thin pillow stuffed underneath her shirt, until she noticed the wood.

Something in her took over, a long buried curiosity that had spawned when she was young. Both Haddock men had seen that look before, and they both knew right then and there that no explanation was necessary.

Valka dropped the basket of groceries on the floor and bee-lined to the wood, ripping it from her son's hands. Her focused eyes were identical to the ferocity of her son's, just moments before. "It looks nothing like any of the dragons on Berk, even with the new addition from my sanctuary."

Stoick came up to her while Bucket kindly picked up the groceries, though no one noticed. "Should we be worried? Any rogue dragons?"

Hiccup spoke, "Y-yeah, and remember the time Mildew tried to frame dragons by scratching fake claws into the wood four years ago? Could that be it?"

Valka shrugged. "Well, these scratches were definitely made by a real dragon, though I wouldn't worry so much about a terrorizing, rogue dragon. It was probably a hungry dragon and it'll move on. I'm sure it's nothing." She returned the wood to Mulch. "It was a valid concern but based on the quickness, of the attack…see Hiccup, you can see that from the cleanness of the cut. Anyway, it doesn't look like it'll stay."

Mulch bowed his head with a gentle smile. "Thank you, ma'am, chiefs. Bucket, come on. We need to make our lunch."

Bucket smiled and returned the basket of groceries to Hiccup, not noticing that he almost collapsed under the weight of it. "Good bye Stoick, Valka, Hiccup…" he then bent down and waved at Valka's belly. "Bye, little one." With that, he skipped out the door.

Hiccup smiled at Bucket's antics and wobbled to the counter. "Mom, what did you do? Buy the whole market out?"

Valka huffed. "I just want to feed my family. Shall we complain of our providence?"

"No, but this is enough to feed us and ten other children!" Hiccup grunted as he put the food on the table. "Are we planning for twins?"

"No!" Stoick cried in a pleading sort of way.

Valka chuckled. "Don't worry, darling, I feel the same way." And she pecked him on the cheek. "How were your days today?"

Hiccup was the first to report. "Twenty-something cases of people complaining, but now, I'm going to sit back, relax, and think of nothing." He sat in his chair and tipped his head back.

Valka smirked and playfully glanced to her husband. "You know Hiccup, I ran into Astrid today."

_Oh no! _Hiccup leapt up. "What happened? Did I forget a date?"

Valka shook her head. "You did not, but she wants to see you anyway."

"Why?" Hiccup whined, his three year-old self returning.

Valka's eyes widened and she gave her son a deadpanning expression. "You're going to question keeping your love waiting? Go find her! Now! She will become deadly if you wait."

Hiccup pouted and slowly got up. "C'mon Toothless. We better go see what Astrid's planned for us."

Hearing his master's call, Toothless promptly huffed and tucked his head into his wing.

"Oh," Hiccup snorted. He knelt down next to Toothless and shouted into his ears…well, dragon ears. "Nice to know that my friends are supportive of me at all times!" When that didn't move the dragon, Hiccup rolled his eyes and whined, "Come on, bud. I'll treat you with a sunset flight!"

At this, Toothless leapt up and raced out of the house. Hiccup rolled his eyes and dryly followed. "I'll be back before dark," he half-mindedly told his parents as he shut the door behind him.

Stoick chuckled, rummaging through what Valka had bought. "Bribing dragons."

Valka smiled as she kissed him again. "It is how to steal a dragon's treasure. Or even to get them to do what we want, most of the time."

Stoick dug to the bottom of the basket. "Well, I just…Valka, what exactly is this?" Stoick held up a large, spiky fruit. The body was a healthy magenta color and the spikes were multicolored with a bright yellow and a lime green. If Stoick were to be frank, it looked more like a horrible contraption than a fruit, maybe more like something alien and foreign, a threat.

Valka shrugged. "Helga had traded her rusty shovel with Trader Johann for a basket of fruit last month. Neither she nor he had any idea of what the fruit was." She continued sorting the eggs and milk she'd purchased into the appropriate cupboards.

"And we have them because why?" Stoick asked, startled by the abrupt ending. "Are your cravings getting stronger, dear?"

Valka turned to him and nodded, like this was an ordinary conversation. "Yes, so if you don't mind…" she stole the fruit from Stoick's grasp and took a large bite out of it. She hummed and smiled, clearly enjoying herself. "It's sweet but threatening looking. I might call it Dragon Fruit."

Stoick rolled his eyes. "Of course you will." He continued putting away the groceries, listening to his wife noisily eat her fruit with smacking lips and all. "How is Astrid, by the way?"

"Hmm? Oh, I wouldn't know. I didn't see her today."

Stoick's head perked up. Then, a small smile slowly crept onto his face. "What have you done?"

Valka's laugh almost caused the fruit to shoot from her mouth. It was either the thrill of her creative genius or the consequences of her plan, but either way, the merry laugh rang. "Haven't you…haven't you noticed the look in both their eyes when we're around them? The shadowy glances suggest that they're keeping something from us."

Stoick huffed. "And, I suppose that you know exactly what is going on?"

Valka nodded.

"Well?"

His wife coyly smiled and bashed her eyelashes. "Well, I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject of teenage, flirtatious glances, but…I do believe that sometime, oh, maybe in the next year or so, possibly a few months even, the joke about Astrid being our daughter-in-law will become reality."

Stoick snorted and rolled his eyes. "You can't predict that."

"And why not? Astrid's mother agrees with me."

Stoick chuckled. "Alright, I'll keep out of these silly, girlish schemes that you two are planning, but don't overexert yourself."

"I'm sorry?" Valka snapped, her mouth full of fruit.

Stoick patiently gathered courage, looking into the eyes of his wife. "You're pregnant Val, in case you've forgotten."

"Sweetheart, I love you, but I think I would be the last person to forget I was pregnant." She rubbed her tummy and playfully smiled. "Don't worry about me. Cloudjumper is always very careful with me…"

"You've been riding Cloudjumper?" Stoick boomed.

Valka didn't get a chance to respond. A providential knock rapped on the door.

"Come in!" Valka urged.

In came Fishlegs and Ruffnut, two of Hiccup's friends. If Valka remembered correctly, they were becoming much friendlier towards one another, in a good way. By the way Ruffnut was clutching Fishlegs' hand without relent, it showed.

"Yes Fishlegs? Ruffnut?" Stoick returned to his chief voice, diplomatic and commanding. He hesitated when he noticed what Fishlegs was carrying. A scratched, splintered board.

"There's a rogue dragon somewhere," Ruffnut announced, her voice dry and unprofessional. "Brainy's got a theory…"

"Yes," Fishlegs forcefully interrupted, clearly already annoyed with her robbing his spotlight. He cleared his throat, held up the beat up board, and continued, "This is the third wall that's been demolished that I've seen. One's mine, another's the shoemaker's, and there's one at the Academy…"

"Make that four," Stoick interjected. "Bucket and Mulch just brought one in too."

Fishlegs' face pinched at this information, but he continued, "Well, I'm sure it was made by a dragon, but I don't pretend to be an expert..."

Ruffnut snorted.

Fishlegs ignored it. "…so we brought it here for you to look at, Mrs. Haddock."

Valka rushed over and took the board. Her eyes became like daggers as she searched for an explanation. Her face lost confidence somewhere along the way, her eyes giving way to fear.

"Val?" Stoick asked. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath and said, "It's the same type of marks that Bucket and Mulch brought in earlier. If there's more, it looks like the rogue dragon isn't done introducing himself."

"Oh, there's more!" Ruffnut announced.

Everyone looked to her, and for the first time, noticed she was peering out the front door.

"What do you mean by that, babe?" Fishlegs asked as he walked towards her.

"Cause there's a long line of angry villagers with messed up doors coming right this way."

Stoick massaged his forehead, bracing himself for what was to come. He could hear the disgruntled cries of complaints and protests from the villagers even now. He glanced to his wife, to tell her that for the baby's sake, she should go and lie down, but to his surprise, she was smirking.

"What?" he asked, chuckling a bit.

Her smirk was sneaky and conniving. "Oh, I'll just go find Hiccup and tell him that his twenty-seven cases of complainers just reached forty-seven." With that, she whistled for Cloudjumper and took off.

* * *

_Call me weird, but Dragon Fruit is a real thing. It's in Wal*Mart. :) Look it up! Don't know if it's sweet, but it looks sweet! :) Thanks for reading guys, and dealing with my weridness...yeah, that alone requires patience! :)_


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